I'm not sure the fifties were as clean as people think. I don't have cable television, don't want it.
DSL modem is bridged, can't solve the problem there. Besides, Opus threw out the specs for the modem and how to program it a long time ago. This is pre the modem is a wireless hot spot, so no I don't want a new one. I think anyone who says self control is the only thing is missing something about addiction. Addiction topples self control and personal values. The best thing a soon to be addict can do is tell on themselves and take steps to reduce temptation. As far as are there cross cultural values of what is acceptable and what isn't, yes there are. These values may not go far enough, but they are a place to start. I would like to see the acceptance in society of promiscuity and porn turn around. This acceptance fuels the sex trade which is very real. As far as gambling goes, online gambling is dangerous and perfect for would be addicts who want to slip under the radar. One can say, people who look at porn or gamble online just want to create a problem for themselves. This is a very cynical view where I take a somewhat different one. I think we need to examine the supply side more and not look at the consumer so much. Porn viewing and online gambling are social events. These events involve potentially millions of people. The potential negative effects can be widespread. Turning a blind eye because someone may not share my values, where ultimately does that lead to? I'm not a pluralist, I reject the notion that all schools of thought and all value systems are equal. What kind of society do we want to live in? Do we want the kind of society where promiscuity, conspicuous gambling, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse in general run rampant? This is where our media society is, I sure hope our real world society isn't. But when does what happens in the virtual world matter in the real world? As far as imposing values goes, society imposes many necessary values on us in order to function. Why is child porn widely condemned? Why is murder in most societies considered a grevious act? Why is there legal verses illegal gambling? Why are payday loan places regulated? To not elevate society preserving values above contradictory value systems is problematic at best, disastrous worst case. Following society preserving values starts in the home where Internet addictions can take hold. I don't see using technology to fight addiction as babysitting. I don't see self control as the end all be all. Self control is the ultimate solution, but failing to address the direction of society and the supply side of the problem is a terrible mistake we should not make. _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
